Form-supporting structure for erecting concrete buildings



Lv 14, 1 64 P. A. SCHMIDT 3,140,524

FORM-SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR ERECTING CONCRETE BUILDINQS Filed June 28, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F|G.|O

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INVENTOF; PAUL A. SCHMIDT ATT'YS FORM-SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR ERECTING CONCRETE BUILDINGS Filed June 28, 1963 July 1964 P. A. SCHMIDT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATT'YS INVENTOR: PAUL A. SCHMIDT wym I lllil July 14, 19 P. A. SCHMIDT Filed June 28, 1963 PAUL A. SCHMIDT ATT'YS Paul A. Schmidt, Earlville, Ill. Filed June 28, 1963, Ser. No. 291,376 13 Claims. (Cl. 25-431) This invention relates to a structure for setting up mold forms for the erection of concrete building walls.

For many years concrete, generally in the form of premolded blocks, has been used for the structuring of various types of buildings, especially houses. As a rule this has involved the trucking in the blocks to the building site. There the blocks are cemented in staggered relationship in successive tiers.

The main objects of this invention are; to provide a supporting structure for the positioning of conventional form elements to permit the erection of a concrete building wall by the on-site pouring of freshly-mixed concrete; to provide an improved form-supporting structure of this kind adapted for set-up on a building footing preparatory to the progressive assembling of the from elements and the pouring of the concrete; to provide improved adjustable wedge means for retaining the form elements in proper opposed relationship pending the pouring of the concrete; to provide improved accessories for association with the form elements to locate variable size window and/ or door openings; to provide an improved form-supporting structure of this kind the assembly of which ensures absolute perpendicular, square-cornered, uniformly thick concrete walls; and to provide an improved form-supporting structure of this kind adapted for facile assembly for the pouring of freshly-mixed concrete and the equal facile dismantling preparatory for subsequent use in erecting another concrete building.

In the adaptation shown in the accompanying drawings;

FIGURE 1 is a reduced-size, perspective of a concrete house the vertical walls of which are adapted for erection by the use of a form-supporting structure constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partly broken away, perspective view of a completely-assembled form-supporting structure constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, perspective view of a type of accessory used for interposition in the assembled structure for locating window and/ or door openings;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one of the adjustable wedge means for use in retaining the form elements in proper opposed relationship pending the progressive erection thereof and the sequential pouring of the freshlymixed concrete therein;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one of the corner plates required to ensure square-corner formations for the building walls;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, similar to that of FIG. 2, with portions of the structure omitted to afford a clearer view of how the adjustable posts of the form-supporting structure are arranged on a suitable footing;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view of the corner portion of the supporting structure within the circle A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional detail taken on the plane of the line 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary detail showing how the supporting posts are turned into and out of formelement retaining positions; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan view of a part of the supporting structure within the circle B of FIG. 2.

The essential concept of this invention involves a plurality of idential posts adapted for rotative vertical disposition on a concrete footing in predetermined, uniform,

United States Patent 0 3,14%,524 Patented July 14-, 1964 "ice horizontally-spaced relationship and transversely anchored by spanning struts and by guy-wires to a central stanchion to permit rotation of the posts into an out of position for the progressive assembling and disassembling of conventional form elements in perfectly squared vertical disposition ready for the pouring of freshly-mixed concrete.

A form-supporting structure, for erecting concrete Walls on a building footing 11, embodying the foregoing concept comprises, a plurality of posts 12 having eccentrically-aligned upper and lower trunnions 13 and 14 for the rotative disposition of the posts 12 in opposedly-spaced parallel rows on the footing 11 between series of transverse and lateral apertured struts 15 and 16 spanning and embracing the upper trunnions 14, with guy cables 17 connecting the abutting ends of the lateral struts 16 with a stanchion 18 ready for the progressive stacking between the posts 12 of conventional form elements 19 with interposed windowand/or door-opening-forming accessories 20, spacing wedge means 21 and corner-forming plates 22, all preparatory to the pouring of freshly-mixed concrete.

The footing 11 may be of any conventional type whereon buildings, especially houses, are to be erected. For erecting a concrete building of the herein-described character, provision has to be made for parallel lineal series of predeterminedly-spaced pockets 23 for the erection of the lower trunnions 13 on the respective posts 12. As shown in FIG. 2, some form of plates 24, preferably angle bars, may be anchored to the footing 11 by conventionally-embedded bolts 25. These angle plates 24 are arranged in spaced parallel relationship with the angles facing inwardly and with the horizontal legs having apertures 26 registering with the footing pockets 23, should the latter be required when the anchoring plates 24 are employed.

The posts 12 here are shown as angle-bars wherein one leg 28 is curved inwardly toward the other leg 29, as indicated in FIGS. 9 and 10. The purpose for this post structure will be explained presently. The trunnions 13 and 14 here are shown as short pieces of small-gage rod bonded to the one edge at the opposite ends of the leg 2? and extending beyond the respective ends of the posts 12, in axially aligned disposition. Thus, the set-up of such a form-supporting structure is initiated by arranging the posts 12 in upwardly-extending horizontally-spaced outer and inner parallel series as so clearly indicated in FIGS. 2 and 6.

The transverse struts 15 here are shown as sections of flat strap metal of uniform lengths sufficient to span the opposed pairs of posts 12 with the end apertures embracing the respective trunnions 14. The lateral struts 16 are, as here shown, longer sections of strap metal with longitudinal series of apertures spaced to conform to that of the footing pockets and/ or the apertures in the plates 24-. As a rule these lateral struts 16 are of a length to span several posts 12 in the respective inner rows of posts. For an exceptionally long wall two of these lateral struts might have to be overlapped at their inner ends on one or more intermediate posts 12.

Supplemental corner struts 27, similar to but shorter than the transverse struts 15, are provided for spanning the adjacent pairs of outside corner posts 12 with the end apertures embracing the respective trunnions 14 (FIGS. 2 and 7). Each of these supplemental struts 27 has one end of a link 31 hinged thereto by a bolt-and-nut fastener 32. The other end of the link 31 is secured to a bolt-and-nut fastener 33 which connects together the abutting ends of the lateral struts 16.

In order to ensure the absolutely stable and plumb disposition of the structure of these strut-spaced posts 12, guy cables 17 may be connected by brackets 34 to the fasteners 33, which secure together the ends of the lateral struts 16, and to the stanchion 18 (FIG. 2). The stanchion 13, in turn would be anchored by stakes 30 nearly centrally of the assembled structure on the level of the footing 11. In this connection, it will be understood that guy cables 17, rather than rods, are more appropriate because of the distances that would obtain between the side and end walls of the building to be erected with this form-supporting structure.

The character of the window-door-opening accessory 21), shown in position in FIG. 2, is most clearly indicated in FIG. 3. This comprises a pair of opposed L-shaped parts 35 having mitered ends 36 and connected by a suitable expansion-contraction device 37 to adjustably accommodate the relative positioning of wedges 38 between the mitered ends 36 for altering the external dimension of the accessory 21). This device 37 here is shown as a pair of threaded rods 39 extending through the angles of the respective L-shaped parts 35 and connected to a U-bracket 4G by nuts 41 for contact with the bracket ends.

The wedge means 21, is herein shown (FIGS. 2 and 4) as a pair of identical-shaped blocks having diagonally-opposed abutting faces to assume an elongated rectangular shape. The functioning thickness of this wedge means 21 is determined by the longitudinal shifting of the two blocks, as presently will be explained more fully.

The corner plate 22 is a section of appropriately-wide angle-iron the length of which approximates the length of the posts 12. In use one of these plates 22 is located at each corner of the structure with external faces of the flanges set respectively against the adjacent outside end posts 12. (See FIGS. 2 and 7.)

The form elements 19, as here shown, are representative of the conventional wooden planks so commonly used for erecting concrete structures. Obviously, forms made from metal might be used with equal facility.

The set-up of such a form-supporting structure would be as follows:

The posts 12 would have the lower trunnions 13 set in the plate apertures 26 and/or the footing pockets 23 in opposed parallel inner and outer rows. Preferably, these posts 12 would be set with the straight legs 29 disposed normal to the respective plates 24, as shown in FIGS. 7, 9 and 10. Thereupon, the struts 15 and 16 would set over the transverse pairs of posts 12 and along the inner row of posts, as so clearly shown in FIG. 2. The corner plates 22 would be set in between the adjacent pairs of corner posts 12, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7. The supplemental struts 27 would be set over the adjacent corner posts 12 and connected by the links 31 to the adjacent abutting ends of the lateral struts 16. The guy cables 17 next would be connected to the brackets 34 and to the stanchion 18. The form-supporting structure is then ready for the successive stacking of form elements 19 preparatory to the pouring of the freshly-mixed concrete.

The first tier of form elements 19 would be set on the footing 11 up against the posts 12 along the opposed perimeters of the plates 24, and around the entire series of the thus-assembled and braced rows of posts 12. At this point the wedge means 21 (FIG. 4) would be set between the opposed side and end tiers of elements 19 (see FIG. 2). The two parts of these wedge means 21 would be relatively adjusted to firm the opposed elements 19 up against the respective rows of posts 12.

Where there is to be a door opening, an accessory 21 of appropriate contour and adjustment, is set in on the footing 11 between the respectively-opposed elements 19.

Thereupon, the first layer of freshly-mixed concrete is poured between the first tier of form elements 19 and worked in the usual manner. As this first layer of concrete is worked, the wedge means 21 are pulled up from the fresh concrete into a position for spacing the next tier of form elements 19.

In the event reinforcement rods are to be incorporated into the walls, they will be set in the first layer of con- .3 crete to stand upright between the subsequently-placed elements 19. Also, in the event provision is to be made for window openings in any portion of the finished wall, opening accessories 20, of proper dimension and adjustment, can be set in between this next tier of elements 19 to rest on the first layer (or a subsequent layer) of concrete, as indicated in FIG. 2.

With the second tier of elements 19 in place and braced, the second layer of freshly-mixed concrete may be poured and worked. And, so on, the adding of the tiers of form elements 19 and the successive pouring of concrete continues to the full height of the supporting structure.

After the conventonal time, required for the setting of the concrete, a wrench, or other suitable tool, with properly spaced jaws is set successively over the exposed edges of the legs 29 of the posts 12 and the posts turned on their respective trunnions to back of contact thereof with the form-elements 19 (see FIG. 9). This will permit disconnection of the guy cables 17 and the removal of all the struts 15, 16 and 27. The posts 12 then may be lifted off the footing 11 whereupon free access is had for quick removal of the form elements 19. By contracting the devices 37, the accessories 21 may be removed from the walls. Thereupon stands a concrete wall ready for the erection of a suitable roof and the later fixing of interior partitions and the setting of window and door frames.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described it will be understood that details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A form-supporting structure for erecting building walls from freshly-mixed concrete comprising, a plurality of identically-formed posts each having axially-aligned eccentric trunnions integrated with the opposite ends for rotative location of the lower trunnions on a building footing to dispose the posts vertically in predetermined horizontally-spaced parallel rows, and struts for spanned embracive positioning on the upper trunnions of horizontally-opposed pairs of posts for anchoring the posts in fixed relationship to permit the progressive stacking of horizontally-opposed conventional form elements preparatory to the pouring of fresh concrete for the vertical walls of the building.

2. A form-supporting structure as set forth in claim 1, including plates for anchoring to the footing and have predeterminedly-spaced apertures therein for the reception of the lower post trunnions to fix the relative spacing of the posts in parallel outer and inner rows.

3. A form-supporting structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the posts are substantially angle bars with one leg of each curved inwardly toward the other leg and the trunnions are in the form of short rods bonded to the ends of the other leg of each bar.

4. A form-supporting structure as set forth in claim 1, including other struts for extending laterally along the inner rows of posts embracively of the respective upper trunnions and joining their abutting ends to fix the spacing and vertical disposition of the inner rows of posts.

5. A form-supporting structure as set forth in claim 4, including guy cables and a stanchion, the cable being securable to the abutting ends of the other struts and fixed to a stanchion anchorable at a selected point within the form-supporting structure.

6. A form-supporting structure as set forth in claim 4, including supplemental struts, for spanned embracive positioning on the upper trunnions of adjacent pairs of outside corner posts, and links for connecting the supplemental struts to the abutting ends of the laterally-extending struts.

7. A form-supporting structure as set forth in claim 4, including supplemental struts, for spanned embracing positioning on the upper trunnions of adjacent pairs of outside corner posts, links for connecting the supplemental struts to the abutting ends of the laterally-extending struts, and angle plates substantially the height of the posts for positioning between each pair of outside corner posts to provide corner abutments for the opposed ends of the transverse form elements arranged on the supporting structure.

8. A form-supporting structure as set forth in claim 1, including a rectangular-shaped accessory of a thickness substantially equal to the space between the positioned form elements is vertically interpositioned therebetween to provide for a door-or-window opening in the poured concrete wall.

9. A form-supporting structure as set forth in claim 8 wherein the accessory comprises a pair of L-shaped parts with mitered ends and wedges for adjusted interposition between the mitered ends of the L-shaped parts, the parts being connected across the opposed angles thereof for adjusting their opposed spacing so as to alter the dimensions of the opening to be formed in the wall.

10. A form-supporting structure as set forth in claim 1, including a pair of abutting wedges adjustably interpositioning between the assembled form elements to pressure them against the supporting structure pending the progressive pouring of the concrete between the form elements.

11. An assembled form-supporting structure for erecting the walls of a building from freshly-poured concrete on a previously-formed footing, the structure comprising,

(a) spaced parallel plates anchored to the footing in predetermined contour and each having a longitudinal series of predeterminedly-spaced apertures,

(b) a plurality of angle-bar posts one leg of each of which is curved inwardly toward the other leg, and each having oppositely-extending eccentrically-positioned end trunnions the lower of which trunnions are seated in the plate apertures to support the posts in spaced upright parallel rows,

() a plurality of identical struts dimensioned to span transversely-opposed pairs of posts and apertured to seat over the upper trunnions to secure the posts in perpendicular positions,

(d) other struts extending along the inner row of posts ernbracive of the respective upper trunnions, and joined at their abutting ends, to complete the structure whereby the posts are positionable for the progressive stacking of conventional form elements in opposed positions to permit the pouring of freshly-mixed concrete.

12. An assembled form-supporting structure for erecting the walls of a building from freshly-poured concrete on a previously-formed footing, the structure comprising,

(a) spaced parallel plates anchored to the footing in predetermined contour and each having a longitudinal series of predeterminedly-spaced apertures,

(b) a plurality of angle-bar posts one leg of each of which is curved inwardly toward the other leg, and each having oppositely-extending eccentrically-posi- 10 tioned end trunnions the lower of which trunnions are seated in the plate apertures to support the posts in spaced upright parallel rows,

(0) a plurality of identical struts dimensioned to span transversely-opposed pairs of posts and apertured to seat over the upper trunnions to secure the posts in perpendicular positions,

(d) other struts extending along the inner row of posts ernbracive of the respective upper trunnions, and joined at their abutting ends,

(e) supplemental apertured struts spanning the ad jacent outside corner posts ernbracive of the respective trunnions, and

(1) links connecting each supplemental strut to the adjacent connected ends of the other struts, to complete the structure whereby conventional form elements may be progressively stacked in opposed positions to permit the pouring of freshly-mixed concrete, the posts, after the concrete has set being reversibly rotatable to free the posts and form elements for removal.

13. An assembled form-supporting structure as set forth in claim 12 wherein guy cables are connected to the joined ends of the other struts and to a stanchion anchored substantially centrally within the form-supporting structure to secure the vertical disposition of the supporting structure during the pouring of concrete.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 169,762 Great Britain Oct. 5, 1921 

1. A FORM-SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR ERECTING BUILDING WALLS FROM FRESHLY-MIXED CONCRETE COMPRISING, A PLURALITY OF IDENTICALLY-FORMED POSTS EACH HAVING AXIALLY-ALIGNED ECCENTRIC TRUNNIONS INTEGRATED WITH THE OPPOSITE ENDS FOR ROTATIVE LOCATION OF THE LOWER TRUNNIONS ON A BUILDING FOOTING TO DISPOSE THE POSTS VERTICALLY IN PREDETERMINED HORIZONTALLY-SPACED PARALLEL ROWS, AND STRUTS FOR SPANNED EMBRACIVE POSITIONING ON THE UPPER TRUNNIONS OF HORIZONTALLY-OPPOSED PAIRS OF POSTS FOR ANCHORING THE POSTS IN FIXED RELATIONSHIP TO PERMIT THE PROGRESSIVE STACKING OF HORI- 